Why Humor at Work can Help your Job

Explore how software partner Reallusion invests in humor at work. Having a sense of humor at work can not only help to lighten what can be a serious environment, can defuse difficult situations, reduce stress, create attention for new ideas, build rapport, and help a person be a more approachable and memorable leader.

Plus, humor can also lead to job advancement. A Robert Half International study reported 84 percent of executives believe a worker with a good sense of humor does a better job. Incorporating humor more effectively in the workplace allows you to defuse difficult situations, reduce stress, create attention for new ideas, build rapport, and be a more approachable and memorable person.

Laugh more

Kids laugh about 400 times per day compared with about 15 times a day for adults. Aim to laugh 40 times each day to regain at least 10 percent of your former self. In order to do so, read humorous comic strips and look for quips and funny comments in your reading. Even in challenging situations, look for something funny or humorous you can take away, says LifeHack.com’s article on the Top 10 Ways to Lead More Effectively with Humor

Learn What Makes You Laugh

If you’re trying to laugh at least 40 times daily, it’s helpful to know what makes you laugh and have easy access to that. Here are some ideas: Movies, TV Shows, Words or Phrases, Personal Stories, Cartoons, Audio or Video Pieces, Comedians, TV Personalities, Funny Photos, People You Know.

Then you can even create a “smile file”, or a file that contain these things that can trigger laughter.

Tell Jokes

While canned jokes can be entertaining, look for humor in situations from your own life to make people laugh, including:

Funny things you have said or others have said to you

Pratfalls, be they mental, interpersonal, and physical

Embarrassing moments or unexpected happenings

Times of change or learning

Difficult life events (yes, even these can be humor sources)

Understand Your Audience

It’s important not to be inappropriate with humor at work. In order to do so, start by understanding your audience, says LifeHack:

Paying attention to top management’s attitudes toward humor.

Knowing the audience’s composition – this directly affects which humor types are appropriate.

Loving your audience as much or more than you poke fun at them.

Know the Rules and Boundaries

While onstage comedians might joke about the intimate details of their personal life, it’s usually not OK at work. Avoid harmful practical jokes or pranks, heavily sarcastic comments, and humor rooted in religious, sexual, ethnic, or racial themes.

LifeHack suggests using the “SAFE test” to gauge jokes. To pass the test and for humor to be safe, all of these statements need to be true regarding your joke, comment, or image: